A Time of Refelection

It seems as though the marathon training had hit a plateau. In the previous 5 weeks (on our long runs) I had ran 10 miles, 13 miles, 12 miles, 13 miles, and then 10 miles again. It all seemed so familiar. But this weekend we had to progress a bit. We launched ourselves to a 15 mile run! And even though it was only a progression of 2 miles on my longest distance I had previously achieved, it felt big. I had great excitement, and some anxiety about the run. The combination of those 2 emotions are thrilling! It had been 4 weeks since I felt those same butterflies (before the half marathon).

The Friday before the big run, I gave carb-loading my best shot, LOL!





Now keep in mind, I have done a lot of research about marathon training...I know the difference between "good carbs" and "bad carbs". My whole-grain spaghetti lunch above is a fuel-rich-meal...where as the giant slice of chocolate cake is empty and mostly useless carbs. But when you are (supposed to be) dieting, but have the green light to eat carbohydrates, AND you are at a birthday party where someone places a piece of cake in front of you...you are gonna eat (most of) it...at least I did!

With the progression of these runs, I am starting to have scheduling conflicts. :0( Rick only has every-other weekend off...and now my runs exceed the time limit (2 hours) that I can have the kiddos in the childcare at the gym. For the remaining 8 weeks, 2 of them I am going to have to rely on grandparents to watch the kids, and on the actual marathon itself, I have a dear friend of the family (shout out to Grammy Barb!) that will be caring for the kids.

When I signed up for this marathon, I IGNORANTLY went into it thinking it was a personal decision I was making for myself. I was going to be the one running it...it would only affect me. I have literally never been more wrong about anything in my entire life. This marathon is not just about casually running through your neighborhood!

I have spent SO MUCH MORE money than I ever expected...more than just the fee of the marathon itself. I bought a gym membership, 2 pairs of shoes, and other clothing/accessories. Some of these expenses were covered by gift cards for my birthday, but we had to budget for the rest...and God has been faithful to provide. :0)

I never thought this decision would inconvenience my husband...but on his days off, or even on the days that he is not off...but feels awake enough to watch the kids so I can go run outside, he has sacrificially put his desires aside so I can accomplish this goal. He has been supportive, encouraging, and has never made me feel bad or guilty for making this decision that most definitely affects him also.

I knew the marathon training would shake up our schedule a bit, but I never thought the kids would be affected as much as they have!!! But by the grace of Our Lord, it has only been for good! While the gym is supposed to be a cool thing for me, I had much anxiety about putting my kids in the childcare while I worked out. For as long as we have been parents, Rick and I have taken care of our children. We have never put them in a daycare, a pre-school, we have elected to home school our children, and only on 2 occasions have we hired a non-family member to babysit our children. This has been my greatest mental obstacle in this marathon process. Fortunately, my children (especially Beatrice!) LOVE the childcare program at the YMCA. They ask to go. God is so good to have made that a seamless transition. But in addition to the gym situation, is all the running in general...all that running equals time away from the kiddos. Some days its nice to have a break, and other days I feel guilty for spending that time away from them. Especially as these runs get longer.

This was not a personal decision. It turns out, this was a decision I had made for my whole family.

Anyway, not sure why I got side-tracked. Oh that's right...Saturday's run...I had 2 obstacles...Rick had to work, so he couldn't watch the kids...AND, Wyatt's drum class is at 11:15am on Saturday mornings...so no matter the distance of the run, I need to be done in time to take him to that.

It turns out that my step-mom was able to watch the kids this weekend, and since it's less than 5 minutes from their house, my dad and I did our 15 mile run at Lake Miramar.



The location of this run increased my anxiety. My dad and I have only ran together on two occasions. On both occasions we ran at Lake Miramar...and on both occasions we did not complete the runs without issue. The first time we ran together it was just a 5 mile run. My dad and I had independent seamless runs up until this point, but on this day, my dad was having heart rate issues, and we had to stop multiple times for him to catch his breath and re-group. We completed the 5 miles that day, but I did not feel good about it. The second occasion was the Saturday we were supposed to run 7 miles, and I had gotten sick the night before. I decided to do the run despite not feeling well, and the experience was a complete failure! Lake Miramar has been a mental block for me since. I have had zero interest in going back.

But none-the-less, that is the location that was most convenient, and we set out at 7am...





Just a couple of miles into the run, we met up with my sister Jenni.



She had started at 6:30am, and was running in the opposite direction from us. She finds the run to be easier if she runs the course backwards. I'm telling you, this marathon journey is every bit as mental as it is physical...you do what you gotta do!!!

After we exchanged "hello's" (and a QUICK snapshot, lol) we were off running again! It was incredibly cold outside, but felt great! I felt like I was icing my knees during the run so I wouldn't have to do it post-run, LOL! (That was not the case.)

My dad and I run at the same pace, and although we are listening to our individual ipods, it's still nice to have him by my side...bumping fists at each of the mile markers.

I felt strong. I felt fast.

But it wouldn't be a "Dad & Cheech run at Lake Miramar" without imperfection. :0( At mile 8 my dad was in great discomfort. His hip flexor had been an issue all week, and it was wreaking havoc on him during our run. In addition to that, he was wearing new shoes, and he was getting crazy blisters (which I saw post-race) on his feet. He ran an additional mile, but at the 9 mile marker he had to call it quits. :0( Lake Miramar is a 5 mile loop, so at the 9 mile marker, he still had to walk 1 mile to the truck. He told me to go on ahead, and I did.

I was concerned for my dad, but I stayed focused. I was able to pass my sister a few more times (which was GREAT fun and excitement) and I took in God's beautiful creation..



During those final (solo) 6 miles, I kept contemplating how far I have come, and how much farther I still have to go. Both sides of the coin are CRAZY to think about. On that day I had to run around the lake 3 times, and in just 5-1/2 weeks (2 weeks before the marathon) I will need to run 4 laps around the lake...20 miles. That's insanity! ;0)

After all of my pondering of different scenarios, I eventually made it back to the "Start"...also known as the "Finish"!!!



I was elated. I was on a high. I ran the entire 15 miles in 2 hours and 32 minutes. That's an incredible time for me! Considering that I ran the half marathon (13 miles) in 2 hours 22 minutes, this was like flying...I was shocked with my timing! :0)

The high lasted for a quite awhile, and then the physical exhaustion eventually set in. I was pretty sore by the end of the day. I napped when the kids napped, and iced my knees a couple of times.

But by Sunday, I felt 98% normal, and hit the gym for an hour of cardio.

Things increase again this week. I have a 4 mile, an 8 mile (that I have to do on a treadmill, booooo!), another 4 mile, and then a 16 mile run this weekend. The thought of these runs are exciting and tiring all at the same time. :0)